Jackass 2

Rated R for: Crude and dangerous stunts, sexual content, nudity and language
Running Time: 1 hr., 35 min.
Starring: Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Ryan Dunn

Rating: Three stars [out of four]

In theaters now


I have never seen the show Jackass in its entirety. When it first started, I saw a few minutes of the premier episode and decided it was not for me. I could think of many other things to do with my time than watch a bunch of guys get in shopping carts and get pushed into walls.

The stupid, sophomoric show didn't interest me in the least. So, when some friends from work asked me to join them in seeing the first Jackass movie with them, I politely declined. When my brother bought the DVD and asked me to watch it with him, I did the same.

Then, a few months later, I was sitting around bored one day and thought, "Oh, what the hell?" I popped in the DVD, expecting mild chuckles at best, and was absolutely floored by my reaction- I was laughing. This was funny. This was really funny. In fact, it was the funniest movie I had seen in a long, long time.

So I was more than excited when Jackass 2 came out yesterday. This time I was going to go to the theater and see this thing with an audience, because comedies seem to work best with a crowd of people.

I wasn't sure whether this would be as good as the original. It turns out my fears were not needed.

You will either love Jackass 2 or you will hate it. There's no in between. If the thought of guys pulling pranks on each other [and, most of the time, they are pranks in which people get badly hurt] doesn't sound amusing, this probably isn't for you. If you have a weak stomach, don't want to see full on male frontal nudity for an hour and a half or if you are offended by bestiality [yes, you read that right, though it's not quite as bad as you're probably thinking]- then this movie is not for you.

See, this is as stupid as movies get. There is no plot here. It's just stunt after stunt after stunt, each funnier, grosser and more painful to watch than the last. But if you can shut off your brain and just enjoy it for what it is, you'll find yourself clutching your stomach and struggling to catch your breath. This is America's Funniest Home Videos with balls.

There aren't too many stunts I can actually mention here on my blog, or in mixed company, for that matter. But there are a few I can divulge. How about a little person bungee jumping? Doesn't sound too crazy, huh? Well, what if I told you that said little person's bungee cord wasn't attached to a solid object, but rather to a very large man on top of a bridge? You can see where this is going. Or how about watching one of the guys getting marred, full on, by a stampeding bull? Or a guy strapped into a shopping cart that is sent flying at out of a garage, only for the roll down garage door to be closed at the very last second? Or how about a man getting bitten on the penis by a snake?

Come on, you know that last one caught your attention. Besides the insane stunts that these guys pull off [I swear they shouldn't have survived about half of them] are the gross stunts. Like taking a beer bong rip...from the other hole. Yeah, it's as gross as it sounds. And hilarious.

This is the type of film you get drunk and watch with your friends. Since you can't really go to the theater drunk, you'll just have to settle for the audience participation, which is one of the best parts. You'll find yourself joining everyone around you howling with laughter and clapping repeatedly throughout the film.

The bottom line is that this thing is the funniest movie you'll see all year. Period. Don't miss it.